"To be honest, Shaun is a little bit ahead of things," iPod said back in August. "He came back really, really strong after a long break of competition."

iPod says the cab double 1440 is "really heavy," and the thought of busting it out in competition is daunting.

"I've done it on the air bag, but it's a different feeling when you have that coping in front of you," he told ESPN before the X Games in January. "To get the right combination, the right flip and the right spin is really hard on this trick ... I'm really looking forward to putting this trick into competition."

But it's not the only big trick he has in his bag. He's also landed the Double McTwist starting from a switch stance (facing the opposite direction with which he's comfortable), and between that and the 1440, it could be combination that finally brings down Shaun White.-

But one thing that hasn't been mentioned, and is always on the judges' minds, is amplitude.

At last year's European X Games, iPod finished third behind Shaun White and Louie Vito. Vito may have put together a more technically difficult run than White by landing five double inverted tricks in a single run, including a 1260. But the amplitude wasn't there, and Vito finished second.-

iPod knows this. But while we're all hoping he gets the amplitude up for a showdown here in Vail, iPod himself may be thinking more long term.

"I'm getting stronger and stronger," he said. "We'll see how strong I can get before the Olympic Games."